Arrival, Housing, and Travel

We’ll continue adding more info to this page from now till December. Keep checking it for all the latest updates.

Arrival & Check-in

Check in to your hotel first before checking in for the conference. Hotel check-in times are usually 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. If you arrive before your room is ready, ask the front desk about storage options for your luggage.

Check in for the conference December 27 between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. in America’s Center (701 Convention Plaza, St. Louis). You will need a valid photo ID.

If you are a minor and haven't sent in the Minor Waiver through December 11, you must have it signed by your parent/guardian and bring it to the conference check-in. Without it, you won’t be able to attend Urbana.

The first session starts December 27 at 7:30 p.m. CST. Make sure you check in early enough (and eat) so that you don’t miss out on the first session!

Late Check in (if you don’t arrive early enough on December 27) begins at 8:00 a.m. on December 28 in the Lobby of America’s Center.

Housing

Reserve your rooms now through the Urbana Housing Bureau. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to get a discounted rate at many downtown St. Louis hotels, not to mention free or reduced grab-and-go breakfast, parking, and Wi-Fi.

How to Reserve a Room

Search for “Registration Confirmed - Urbana 18” in your inbox.

Under the Housing section of the email, click the link to take you to the Urbana Housing Bureau.

If you registered before August 1, you will have two registration confirmation emails. The housing link is in the most recent one.

If you are part of a track, refer to your track confirmation email for more specific housing instructions.

The Urbana Housing Bureau lists available hotels with their prices and amenities, but plan on spending around $125 per night (plus tax) if you don’t have roommates.

Hotels will require the first person who checks into a room to put down a temporary room deposit of $50 or more per night. We highly recommend using a credit card for this deposit. If you use a debit card, the deposit may be immediately withdrawn from your account and could result in a negative balance or reaching your account’s daily maximum.

Roommates for Urbana

Finding roommates can help lower your housing costs. Log in to the Urbana Housing Bureau (using the link in your most recent registration confirmation email) to find the Urbana Roommate Forum. You can also try to find a roommate using social media or by contacting your local staff worker.

Group Reservations

Registered participants can book up to 10 rooms on their own. If you need more rooms, email Connections Housing at urbana@connectionhousing.com.

Meals

Breakfast: A complimentary breakfast will be provided by most conference hotels (the Magnolia Hotel St. Louis being the only exception) on December 28 through January 1, from 7:00 to 8:15 a.m. for participants who reserved their hotel room through the Urbana Housing Bureau. Look for signs at your hotel directing you to the breakfast location.

Dinner: All participants will be served dinner on December 28 through December 31, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Urbana Dining Hall. Vegetarian options will be available.

All other meals, including lunches, travel meals, and snacks, are your responsibility. Downtown St. Louis has many reasonably-priced restaurants within walking distance of America’s Center, and concessions will be available onsite. We’ll provide more restaurant info in the conference handbook and app.

Travel

By car—Ask the hotel about parking. It should be free or discounted if you booked your room through the Urbana Housing Bureau.

By air—Book your flights into Lambert Airport and be sure to shop around for the best deals. To help you with that, check out these special discounts:

Southwest

If you have a group of ten or more people headed to Urbana, Southwest will give you a discount. Visit their website to see if you qualify.

Please note that you need to book your group under your church, organization, etc. Even if your group comes from an InterVarsity chapter, please do not put down InterVarsity’s name when setting up your discount with Southwest.

Delta

Delta Air Lines is pleased to offer special discounts for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA.

If you stay at one of the following hotels, Metro Transit, St. Louis’ rail system, has partnered with Urbana. You will receive a weeklong pass to ride the Metro to and from America’s Center when you check into your hotel.

St. Louis Union Station Hotel

Red Lion St. Louis City Center

The Westin St. Louis

Drury Inn Union Station

If you stay at one of the following hotels, they will provide a daily shuttle to and from America’s Center. You can find a departure schedule in the hotel’s lobby.

Pear Tree Inn Union Station

Courtyard St. Louis Downtown West

Residence Inn Downtown

If you stay at any other hotel available through the Urbana Housing Bureau, you will be within walking distance of America’s Center.